Ticking the box marked...

We had long joked that in Cusco, Peru we would see everyone again that we had met so far on our trip. We were not strictly correct. We did see Amber again, though we don´t know how her date went. No, instead it seemed that we saw every other caucasian tourist in the world in Cusco. The Peruvian marketing Darth Vaders have done a remarkable job. Cusco has a pretty colonial heart. Though to our eyes it is not that different from Popayan (Columbia) or Cuenca (Ecuador) and certainly Cartagena (Columbia) is its equal. However, the world and his wife are there. The place is packed with North American tourists (stop pretending to be Canadian already!) and everyone is queuing for pizza, cash, burgers and tours.

Of course, most people are there because Machu Picchu is the hottest destination in South America. This is a bit of a sensitive subject as a lot of people spend a lot of effort and money on coming to MP and it is the centre piece of their trip. But we really didn´t get it. We really wish we had had the cojones not to go. They say they are trying to limit the numbers on the Inca Trail and at MP but all they are doing is coining it big time. We did make the mistake of getting the train, when we found out afterwards that it is actually possible to avoid the train and walk part of the way on the train tracks. So it cost us a large chunk of change. But what was really disappointing was the site itself. Compared to Tikal (Guatemala) or Palenque (Mexico), the two most impressive sites we have seen, it just doesn´t seem very cosmic. The hilltop location is awesome, but just in Peru in the Cordilleras and the canyons there is much more spectacular scenery. And of course MP is crawling with visitors, many of whom rejoice at seeing as they have just walked 4-5 days to get there. Ultimately the combination of Cusco and Machu Picchu, the atmosphere and numbers, are what we try to avoid most of the time.ñ

But we had to go, of course. We had to tick the box. But we also had a very special friend to take with us. You will remember the a certain bear originally arrived at Paddington train station after a very long journey from darkest Peru. Last year, while doing life laundry back in Brighton, I found said lonely and ruffled bear in the loft - some 28 years after I had first been given him as a present. We thought it was time for him to return to his homeñand and see the sights. After seeing the mountains and valleys, we left Paddington bear around the corner from the Mortureros in Machu Picchu, where has a great view of the site, the valley, the train and Putucusi.

The 800m high rock that is Putucusi has special significance for us. The day before we visited the site of MP we climbed this imposing edifice. There were vertical sections of collapsing ladders, some 50m long. But at the top we were rewarded by a quiet, serene and delightful view of Machu Picchu. It was the highlight of our time in the area. Of course it seems harsh to knock one of the world´s great wonders but we were just very uncomfortable with it. Perhaps it is in the context of wider Peru - which seems poorer and more disturbed than even Bolivia and seems well beind Ecuador developmentally. And that so much wealth is in Cusco when the rest of the country is a mess. And how so many people we met were not going anywhere else in Peru. It seemed sad somehow.

San Blas plaza over Cusco

The train to Machu Picchu

On the lookout for marmelade... or was it jam

Huanca Picchu - quite a mouthful